october 2009
With only 8 months till the Football World Cup in South Africa kicks off there is a lot of speculation on how successful the event will be. Some pundits are concerned that South Africa has not been host to a sporting event of this scale and will not cope well. Few sporting events can compare to the scale of the Football World Cup but South Africa has a proven track record of hosting events since 1995 when Nelson Mandela inspiringly brought the Rugby World Cup to its apartheid ravaged shores.
What an event that turned out to be, with the hosts lifting the cup and the immortal exchange between the Springbok Captain, François Pienaar and Nelson Mandela: As Nelson prepared to hand over the cup to his captain, he said: "François, thank you for what you have done for our country." Pienaar, with extraordinary presence of mind, replied: "No, Mr President. Thank you for what you have done."
Find below a list of International sporting events staged in South Africa:
- 1995 Rugby World Cup
- 1996 African Cup of Nations
- 1996 World Cup of Golf
- 1998 World Cup of Athletics
- 2003 Cricket World Cup
- 2003 President's Cup
- 2003-2008 Fina Swimming World Cup
- 2005-2008 Women's World Cup of Golf
- 2006-2008 A1 Grand Prix Durban
- 2006 Paralympic Swimming World Champs
- 2007 World Twenty20 Championships
- 2010 Fifa World Cup preliminary draw
- 2009 Confederations Cup
It is an impressive list of events and one which in my opinion should give South Africa the experience to handle one of the biggest sporting events in the world. I’m certain the event itself will be a success; South Africa is a fascinating country that offers such a diverse range of experiences. If you are planning on visiting South Africa for the World Cup, contact Mahlatini to discover how best to spend your time.
The JSE-listed City Lodge Hotels group has put two new hotels into development - Road Lodge Southgate and Road Lodge Bloemfontein Airport. This will push the number of hotels they are building around the country from 6 to 8.
Road Lodge Southgate will be placed adjacent to the Southgate Mall in southern Johannesburg. It will consist of 118 rooms and the development costs are expected to reach in and around R43 million. Road Lodge Bloemfontein Airport will have 66 rooms and its cost will climb to R28 million. Both hotels are due to open towards the end of May 2010.
More exciting is the fact that Road Lodge Southgate will be the group’s first hotel in Southern Johannesburg whereas Road Lodge Bloemfontein Airport will be the group’s second hotel in the Free State. To date, there are 18 Road Lodges in South Africa.
Kaya Mawa on Likomo Island is about to undergo a refurbishment. The lodge closes on 5th November 2009, amongst other things, the following will be happening:
- New, re-plumbed bathrooms
- Solar power to all rooms
- A new bar & restaurant on the beach
- New rooms with their own pools
- New suites with panoramic views
- New PADI recognized dive centre at Kaya Mawa (Likoma Island Divers)
Kaya Mawa was previously voted one of the best ten romantic destinations on the planet. We look forward to seeing these new refurbishments and experiencing even more luxury at this exclusive luxury lodge.
Spa magazine’s Silver Sage Readers’ Choice Award has been awarded to Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat in the category of Favourite Resort/Hotel Spa, 2009 throughout Africa and the Middle East. They received more than 100 000 votes which can be seen in the US magazine’s Nov/Dec issue. The Silver Sage Readers’ Choice award follows hot on the heels of 2 other major awards. This latest award recognises Bushmans Kloof introduction earlier this year to an inspiring new focus on the spa, wellness programmes and holistic healing offering.
Cederberg Mountains, Western Cape, South Africa.
The Kwando River has attracted many Elephant and Buffalo herds to Lagoon Camp in Botswana. The drive to the camp from the nearby airstrip produces many opportunities to see an enormous amount of game.
The Wild Dog puppies have brought much excitement to the area. They’ve been involved in their first hunt and kill. They have now completed their transaction from dependant pups to full pack members. The pack will now spend their time hunting around the Kwando region before the denning cycle comes around in May.
A small Leopard cub has been spotted drinking with its mother at Zebra pan and the three brother Cheetah are still a regular sighting in the area hunting unfortunate Impala or sitting in the shade of a Kalahari Apple leaf.
Lebala has been witnessing more outstanding game viewing recently. The majority of the big cats that inhabit this area have been spotted on a number of occasions including the now resident male Leopard that’s been seen wandering around at night.
The Wild Dog pups have begun to hunt and thousands of Buffalo and Elephant can be seen on the floodplains feeding.
The migrant birds are returning from central and northern Africa showering the area with colour. The whole of Lebala is teaming with wildlife in expectation of the incoming rainfall.
Related article: Cheetahs spotted at Lebala
Once again, more unexpected rain has fallen, this time at Nxai Pan. The rain brought vegetation to the area and subsequently, animals! Groups of Lions, Elephants and Hyenas were seen drinking and playing in Nxai Pans watering hole.
More excitement built when Pangolin were spotted. This is the first time Nxai Camp has seen these rare animals. It’s thought that the early rain drew them out to feed on ants and termites.
Most people have had the fortune of seeing a pride of Lions that have been living on the main Nxai Pan for a while now. Four young cubs are with said pride, which we believe to span three generations.
The two resident Cheetah are still a common sighting and are constantly harassing the Impala and Springbok in the area. Watchers, on one occasion, saw the pair take an Impala each! Unfortunately the Hyena in the area chased them away after they had devoured one Impala to take the other.
Late September of last month brought some unexpected days of welcomed rainfall at Tau Pan Camp in the Kalahari. Normally the rainfall starts around the beginning of November but showers have provided some well-deserved drinks around the Kalahari.
The resident Leopard has been spotted and heard on a number of occasions along with a pair of Lions that frequent the water hole. Early mornings around the camp sees Brown Hyena coming to quench their thirst.
Cheetahs are still spotted quite regularly on to of mounds overlooking the Kalahari for Springbok, young Gemsbok or Red Hartebeest.
The seven Lions at Little Kwara Camp have been spotted regularly this month all around the camp. Occasionally they will break off into groups of 3 or 4 and patrol through different areas of their territory.
Their diet consists of a number of different animals that can be seen throughout Kwara such as Tsesebe, Buffalo, Wildebeest and Zebra. They’ve yet to take on the Elephants were other larger packs across Botswana have done so.
In addition to Lions, this month has been excellent for Cheetahs and Leopards. A family of Cheetahs with four young cubs have been spotted on a number of occasions. The cubs are learning how to hunt with their parents with a mixed success rate.
Two of the leopards have been seen killing a large male Lechwe close to Charles crossing. On looking guests photographed them eagerly.
There is a pack of five Wild Dogs that are seen occasionally around the eastern side of the area and there are many Elephant bulls in and around the area to keep everyone entertained.
Bird lovers will have the chance to see the Long Crested Eagle that has been spotted on the Maunichira channel bordering the Moremi Game Reserve. Other bird species that have been spotted include Saddle Billed Storks, Fish Eagles and migratory Carmine Bee-Eaters who have returned.
The River Club in Zambia (which lies just north of Victoria Falls) is undergoing a few changes that will see some nice features added to the accommodation. The snooker room is being re-done with the snooker table re-covered. Air-conditioning is also being added to the room, with a nice addition of a library. You won’t have a hard time relaxing during those summer months.
The colonnade connecting the Summer House and the Main Area has also had a make over. The tennis courts that are being built should be completed over the next week or two.
Abu Camp is set to close from the 1st of January to the 15th of May next year for refurbishment. Over the closure, Villa Okavango will still be in operation with their great elephant experiences that Abu offers. The Villa is still a maximum of 4 guests and one party at any one time.
Privacy and exclusivity is maintained throughout the camp with tents being spaced further apart. The new camp will offer five tents. In addition to these new camps, a pilot/guide tent will also be available so long as guests are aware of its smaller size and different interior.
Kalahari Plains Camp sees construction begin which is due for completion on the 1st of December later this year. The work will bring some exciting new improvements to the standard rooms, which include star decks above the bedroom area. The Kalahari Plains Camp will be the first camp in Botswana to provide this facility.
Family accommodation will have two separate rooms each with their own bathroom and entrance to the main deck. An interesting addition is the lighting and water, which will run primarily on solar power. Given the location of the new camp, transfer times from the nearby Kalahari Plains airstrip will be shorter at around 25 minutes.
Mvuu Camp
posted in Malawi on Wednesday, October 7, 2009
While Liwonde's 500 plus elephant can usually be seen for 10 months of the year, the increasingly hot and dry weather brings the entire population to the banks of the Shire River, Since late July the river has become the park's only source of water. It is unusual to see less than 200 in separate herds of up to 50 at this time of year.
The latest and greatest idea whilst staying at Pumulani is to take a picnic breakfast out on the dhow. And picnicking Pumulani style includes: freshly baked croissants, muffins and nutty fruit loaf, a bacon bagel that melts in your mouth, granola pots with chilled yoghurt and honey, fruit smoothies and breakfast pies! On boarding the boat a "Bloody Mary" is served and breakfast is washed down with fresh fruit juice or filter coffee. The experience is completed with a swim in the lake. This is how life should be; a gourmet picnic served up on a beautiful wooden dhow on the bluest lake in Africa.
"Here at Sosian we are experiencing a normal Laikipia dry season which happens every year. Laikipia is a semi arid area at the best of times, and it is only through good land management that it can support the large numbers of game and cattle that it does. Unfortunately many of the neighbouring community lands and a few commercial properties have not done this and are now suffering as a result. Vegetation is dry but grass cover is good and we have had some of our best game viewing ever recorded on Sosian in the last few months. There is an abundance of game - probably over 2500 head of Zebra and +200 elephants at the moment. The Ewaso Narok River is flowing well and most of our springs and Sugutas and our big dam still have water. The wildlife is in very good condition, as of yet the wildlife is not showing any sign of losing condition, even buffalo, hippo and warthog which are usually the best indicator as they first show signs of starvation during a drought, are in good condition. As a result of the influx of game the predator numbers have also increased and lion sightings have been fantastic (also due to the number of zebras around the cattle sleep peacefully at night undisturbed!).
Right now it is very satisfying driving around Sosian (and the majority of commercial properties in Laikipia) and realising that the sensible policies implemented in the years of higher rainfall are now coming to fruition."
Steve Carey - Sosian Ranch Manger
The three brother Cheetahs that repeat guests will know well have been spotted several times again this month. On one occasion they were tracked hunting Impala during the day not far from the old airstrip. On another a successful kill was made on the small Steenbok antelope.
Leopards and Lions have also been common visitors to the Lebala area. The two dominant males are often sighted patrolling their territory or lazing under thick-canopied trees.
Huge breeding herds of Elephants are now dominating the Lebala floodplains now that all of the Mopane pans have finally dried up in the forests. The Elephants have migrated to the permanent waters and can often be seen swimming and drinking in the water channels.
Night drives have also produced some interesting sightings – hunting Wild Cats and Servals are often seen stalking close to the floodplains providing wonderful photographic opportunities for guests!